stephanie t.'s Profile

i'm sure i'm not the only one who was a little sad to see java jo's go, and i hope i'm not alone in celebrating that it didn't get replaced with a starbucks, or some other over priced, impersonal coffee shop.  in that respect, i couldn't be more excited about the opening of fazenda, and hope to see this small, locally owned and operated coffee shop do well!

on the surface, fazenda didn't change a lot when they bought the cafe that used to sit here - but really, i think it's the details that make this place a definite upgrade.  

at first glance, for one, it's noticeably cleaner.  granted this place has only been open a month, but it glimmers from behind the counter, to the bathroom, to the seating area.

the cafe selections are both creative and tasty.  i stopped by later in the afternoon one weekday, when things were a bit slower than i imagine they are in the morning (located RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from the forest hills t stop, it's a super convenient place to grab a cup of coffee mid-morning commute bustle) i was lucky enough to chat with the manager for a few minutes.  all of those tasty menu selections - from sandwich spreads to smoothies are his own creation.  he recommended the peanutbutter and espresso smoothie... GUYS, changed my life.  i do not know if i will ever be able to drink another peanut butter smoothie again, ever.

my curry chicken salad sandwich was also delicious, and due to the cleanliness and friendliness, though i was initially going to take it all to go i was more than happy to eat there and make small talk with the staff.

i don't even live in this neighborhood anymore, but wil definitely be back to try the other sandwiches and smoohies..... and maybe their in-house roasted coffee sometime too haha.  

5 stars.  gushity gush gush gush.

this place is really unassuming, i'd walked by it a million times before my boyfriend suggested it for dinner one night, and still had no idea what to expect.

the inside is adorable, perfect place for a casual little date, and the food is reasonably priced and tasty.  we shared an olive plate, then i had a delicious panini and my boyfriend had pasta.  both of us left very happy!

staff was super friendly as well, and i will definitely be returning and am happy to have such a little gem right around the corner.

i'm not going to lie and say i didn't have fun here.  i was here for a friend's birthday, so of course i had a good time.  this place was unlike anything i've ever seen.  cabanas, beach volleyball court, large bar, etc etc.  dance floor was bumpin.... techno (i actually witnessed a girl sliding up and down a random pole near the dance floor to a techno remix of smells like teen spirit, pretty sure kurt cobain rolled in his grave haha)

THAT SAID, i'm also not going to pretend to ever understand being so close to the city (i actually had to LEAVE cambridge) to go to a club you have to DRIVE to, with a $20-40 cover on top of that.  i'm never going to understand that ever.

you will probably like this place if you are from jersey, european (you can smoke anywhere inside) or like things like "vip tables" and other things i also don't understand.

ew, do not go hang out here on a friday night.  i'm so embarrassed to even admit i did (and waited in LINE and paid $5 to do so).  even more embarrassed than me though, i'm sure, would be my boyfriend and two guy friends who suggested this bar, saying they heard it had good music and were probably growing exasperated of my chants of "enormous room, enormous room".

so we walk in, and are immediately confused. this place is shameless (which normally, trust me, i'd love). it is just barely 11pm and i swear every single person in the bar is drunk (or i hope so...) and dancing HARD.  we grab beers and look around and exchange side eye glances and "i thought you said you heard this place had good music" "maybe it's 80s night?" "well, then let's wait it out, 80s are good" type small talk.

80s would have been fine, it would have been settling but it would have been FINE.  what was actually going on in this bar was just THE WORST DANCE PARTY EVER.  i kept standing on my tip toes to get a glimpse of the dj, because we were convinced it was my boyfriend's 16 year old sister.

"i wanna dance with somebody" (sung by 98453789237498237432987432 (i'm guessing virginal) females) was followed by "no scrubs" some crappy B.O.B. song, "party in the usa" and when the dj actually put on "hit me baby one more time" and was greeted with squeals of excitement, my friends and i exchanged glances, chugged drinks and RAN to the enormous room.

so what does this review mean.  if you are a single lady of the upper 20 something range or the sad variety, out with your friends looking to get drunk and haven't the slightest idea of what to do if a guy tried to hook up with you at a bar anyway.... you will probably love it here.

if this does not apply to you, you will probably hate it, run away.  and if someone tells you they play good music here, consider with great caution who you are speaking to.  your mom?  your sister who goes all out when she hears the first chords of single ladies?  

seriously, run away.

some of it is for meat lovers, some of it for vegetarians, all come with slaw and a pickle, and a free oreo in the jar on the counter for dessert.  eat in or stay and have a beer with yours.  none of it is even remotely healthy, but ALL OF IT IS TASTY.

also get your (honest to goodness) poutine here.  cheese curd and all.

this place really, really couldn't get much better.  close to public transportation (10 min walk from central sq) AND free parking lot right out front for those less luckier than i, the girl who can throw a stone there from my apartment.

poor little rich girl has a fantastic selection of dresses, accessories, shoes, new and old - all extremely reasonably priced and clearly selected with care.

1 star for every hour i could happily spend browsing here.  capped at 5 only by yelp.

if the pad thai is any indicator of what the rest of their food is like (and i personally feel the pad thai is a great indicator of just that at any thai restaurant) the food here is BLAND.  this was possibly the blandest pad thai i've ever eaten in my life.  there were two scallions in the whole dish.  and not like two whole scallions, i mean two small pieces of scallion.  

1 star for being edible, 1 star for free & quick delivery.  no more stars for you pepper sky's!

right in the heart of salem, so of course i expected it to be kind of pricey.  they don't recommend an economy sized room for more than 1 person - but don't be fooled, this room has enough space for you and whoever you'd be comfortable enough to share a bed with.

staff was friendly enough, there was an abundance of parking and everything was clean.  only complaint is that my swipe key card and someone else's i knew who was staying here the same weekend kept resetting (like 3 or 4 times) and not opening the door.  kind of a pain to go all the way back downstairs to have it re-set at the front desk.  they apologized, but said there wasn't really anything they could do.

how about keys guys?  just a thought.

i'd be lying if i said i'll never go back.. bukowskis is right around the corner from my house, has an expansive beer menu, almost outdoor seating and an enticing food menu when i just want, you know, dinner out, nothing fancy.

however the service is inexcusably horrendous.  idk what the point of an expansive beer menu is if my server takes so long to come over and ask if i'd like another (despite all our attempts to make eye contact and wave her over) that i'm done eating and ready for the bill by the time she gets back.  

also, cash only is lame.

2 stars.  bummer.

this may be the original jp licks... but it certainly isn't my favorite summer time locale for ice cream.  unless you enjoy yours wedged between megaquadrhundredbillion screaming / crying babies and served to you by less than pleasant ice cream scoopers - though really it's hard to blame them considering there is a NEAR CONSTANT line out the door at this joint.

the fireplace is nice, and there is a lot of seating (indoor and outdoor) - but like, good luck finding a spot anyway.  if i want jp licks (which i never do, it's really just not my favorite ice cream.. so, when my friends want jp licks..) i drive or take the 39 an extra few minutes over to brigham circle - plenty of parking, plenty of seats - totally worth the extra couple minutes commute to enjoy my ice cream in PEACE.